Cars Toons
|director = |starring = |Owen Wilson }} |composer = |opentheme = Cars Toons Theme Song |country = United States |language = English |num_episodes = |num_seasons = 2 | list_episodes = List_of_Cars_Toons_episodes |executive_producer = |producer = Kimberly Adams |editor = |runtime = 2–7 minutes |company = |distributor = Disney–ABC Domestic Television |network = Disney Channel |picture_format = |audio_format = |first_run = United States |first_aired = |last_aired = |website = https://www.pixar.com/cars-toons }} Cars Toons is a series of American computer-animated short films television series produced by Pixar and Walt Disney Television Animation. It features Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars. Larry the Cable Guy reprises his role as Mater while Keith Ferguson replaces Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen (until The Radiator Springs 500 ½ when Wilson reprises his role). Synopsis ''Mater's Tall Tales'' All Cars Toons in Mater's Tall Tales follow the same tall tale formula: the episode opens with Mater popping out of his garage and declaring, "If I'm lying, I'm crying!" (or a variation thereof on the home media release). Mater proceeds to tell a far-fetched story of something he supposedly did in the past to Lightning McQueen, the action shifting to Mater's story. At a midway point, the action briefly shifts back to Mater and McQueen in which Mater proclaims that McQueen was also involved, telling him "You was there, too!" (or some other variation). The flashback resumes with McQueen's sudden (and usually unwilling) participation. Once Mater finishes his tall tale, (with the exception of Tokyo Mater) one or more characters or elements involved in the story appear, paradoxically suggesting the story might have been authentic. The episode ends with Mater and McQueen posing in their corresponding story's costumes (excluding Tokyo Mater). All episodes feature Mia and Tia and various pit crew forklifts in support roles (except for Time Travel Mater). Cast * Larry the Cable Guy as Mater * Keith Ferguson (2008–2013) / Owen Wilson (2014) as Lightning McQueen * George Carlin (archive recordings) (2009) / Lloyd Sherr (2013-2014) as Fillmore * Tony Shalhoub as Luigi * Guido Quaroni as Guido * Michael Wallis as Sheriff * Katherine Helmond as Lizzie * Lindsey Collins as Mia * Elissa Knight as Tia * Jerome Ranft as Red (only in Tales from Radiator Springs) Production After the success of Cars, production of Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales began in 2006. The first nine shorts were produced by Pixar and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, while all the following shorts were produced by its subsidiary, Pixar Canada. "Tokyo Mater" premiered in theaters in the US with Bolt on December 12, 2008. The short is the first Disney·Pixar production presented in Disney Digital 3-D. Sulley and Mike from Monsters, Inc. made cameo appearances in "Tokyo Mater" as their car forms from the ending of the first film. Release Merchandising It was announced that Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales was to be released as part of the Disney·Pixar Cars Die-Cast Line in mid-2009. In October 2009, they released several diecasts. They released all of the "Rescue Squad Mater" and "Mater the Greater" diecasts, and they are working on "El Materdor" diecasts and reverse. Video game A video game based on the series titled Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales, developed by Papaya Studio, was released on October 19, 2010 for the Wii. A PC version was also released outside the United States. Home media A DVD and Blu-ray compilation of the first nine shorts, titled ''Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales, was released on November 2, 2010. The compilation includes "Mater the Greater", "Rescue Squad Mater", "Monster Truck Mater", "Unidentified Flying Mater", "El Materdor", "Moon Mater", "Heavy Metal Mater", "Mater Private Eye" and "Tokyo Mater", with Moon Mater and Mater Private Eye created exclusively for this set. Choosing the "Play All" option from the menu gives each short (except for Mater the Greater which plays first) unique intros. The remaining two episodes of Mater's Tall Tales "Air Mater" and "Time Travel Mater" were released on the Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 2. Air Mater is also a bonus feature on the Cars 2 DVD and Blu-ray. Future In addition to "The Radiator Springs 500 1/2," which was released in 2014, director Rob Gibbs revealed at the 2013 Disney D23 Expo another Cars Toons titled "To Protect and Serve." The short was also expected to debut in 2014 on Disney Channel, but it was never released. Episodes | end1 = | color2 = 8888FF | link2 = #Tales from Radiator Springs (2013–14) | linkT2 = Tales from Radiator Springs | episodes2 = 4 | start2 = | end2 = }} ''Mater's Tall Tales'' (2008–12) |OriginalAirDate = |Aux4=Toon Disney |DirectedBy = John Lasseter |ShortSummary = Mater is working as a fire truck and has to rescue Lightning McQueen from a burning building. After he saves McQueen, he rushes the racecar to the hospital where the tow truck reveals that he is also a doctor (with an MD, PhD, STP and GTO). Role: Firetruck (and Doctor, briefly) | LineColor= BF80FF }} |Aux4=Toon Disney |DirectedBy = John Lasseter |ShortSummary = Mater is a daredevil and dresses in a style resembling that of Evel Knievel. In a stadium, Mater attempts to jump a long line of cars, but instead merely tiptoes over them. He performs other stunts, and later claims Lightning McQueen failed to jump over Carburetor Canyon while strapped to a rocket. Role: Daredevil | LineColor= BF80FF }} |Aux4=Toon Disney |DirectedBy = John Lasseter |ShortSummary = Mater is a matador fighting a herd of bulldozers in Spain. When Lightning McQueen enters the story, the bulldozers chase after him due to his red paint job. Role: Matador | LineColor= BF80FF }} |OriginalAirDate = |Aux4=Theatrically with Bolt |DirectedBy = John Lasseter |ShortSummary = Mater offers to tow home a stranded Japanese car inspired by the Toyota Century, (named Ito-San), but ends up in Tokyo, Japan after hauling him all the way across the Pacific Ocean. He is subsequently challenged to a race by the Drift King Kabuto (a car resembling Boost, the leader of The Delinquent Road Hazards) with the winner being crowned "King of All Drifters" and the loser being stripped of all custom modifications to become a "stock" car. "Lightning Dragon McQueen" shows up to help Mater fend off an attack from Kabuto's ninjas and then helps Mater catch up with Kabuto and win the race. Kabuto makes a cameo appearance in Cars 2, just before Finn McMissile shows up at the World Grand Prix welcome party in Tokyo. Role: Drift King Guest stars: Robert Ito as Ito San, Mach Tony Kobayashi as Kabuto | LineColor= BF80FF }} |OriginalAirDate = |Aux4=Disney Channel |DirectedBy = John Lasseter |ShortSummary = Mater finds a small UFO called Mator and they have a night out. Later, when Mator is captured by the military forces, Mater sneaks up and saves him with the help of Lightning McQueen and the UFO's mother. Role: UFO/(Unidentified Flying Object) | LineColor= BF80FF }} |OriginalAirDate = |Aux4=Disney Channel |DirectedBy = John Lasseter |ShortSummary = Mater, alias "The Tormentor," is a professional (Monster Truck) Wrestler who works his way up the ranks from amateur to World Champion Monster Truck Wrestler, wrestling all kinds of characters along the way. These trucks include the I-Screamer, Captain Collision, The Rasta Carian, Dr. Feel Bad, and Paddy O'Concrete. When faced with his biggest opponent yet -the Monster of Dr. Frankenwagon-, Mater tags in his "tag team partner," Frightening McMean (Lightning McQueen). Role: Monster Truck Wrestler | LineColor= BF80FF }} |OriginalAirDate = |Aux4=Disney Channel |DirectedBy = John Lasseter |ShortSummary = Mater is a rock star in a heavy metal band. He starts out in a garage band called "Mater & The Gas Caps" and rises to the top with his hit song, "Dad Gum" (which bears a heavy-metal style by accident when the drummer goes crazy trying to kill a fly on the drum while recording an album), a song based on the line Mater is famous for. Lightning McQueen joins him on stage in the middle of a huge concert and they rock into history. Role: Heavy Metal Rock Star | LineColor= BF80FF }} |OriginalAirDate = |Aux4=''Mater's Tall Tales'' DVD/Blu-ray |DirectedBy = Rob Gibbs |ShortSummary = Mater is the first Tow Truck on the moon. His mission: Rescue the Impala XIII by giving him a tow and bringing him back to Earth. Lightning McQueen joins Mater and they are met with a hero's welcome. Role: Astronaut | LineColor= BF80FF }} |Aux4=''Mater's Tall Tales'' DVD/Blu-ray |DirectedBy = Rob Gibbs |ShortSummary = Mater is a private investigator working on an open-and-shut case of counterfeit tires when Tia rolls back into his life. She hires Mater to find her sister, Mia, who's been car-napped. Mater searches for clues and closes in on a major crime scene. Lieutenant Lightning McQueen arrives just in time to help bring the criminals to justice. Role: Private Investigator | LineColor= BF80FF }} |OriginalAirDate = |Aux4=''Cars 2'' DVD/Blu-ray |DirectedBy = Rob Gibbs |ShortSummary = A tow service leads Mater to Propwash Junction, a town of planes. Amazed by all these flying machines, Mater gets interested in learning how to fly when he sees Skipper's Flight School, which has a sign that says they could teach anyone. After learning how to fly, he learns himself to fly backwards and amazes a group of stunt planes known as the Falcon Hawks. Since one of them has sprained their wing during practice for a stunt show, they ask Mater to take place of the injured plane. He accepts and becomes the stunt planes' new member. Lightning McQueen, also a stunt plane, helps Mater at one point when he is in trouble. Role: Stunt Airplane Guest stars: Stacy Keach as Skipper, Danny Mann as Sparky, Jonathan Adams as Judge Davis | LineColor= BF80FF }} |OriginalAirDate = |Aux4=Disney Channel |DirectedBy = Rob Gibbs |ShortSummary = Accidentally gaining the ability to travel in time, Mater travels back to 1909 in the middle of a desert, where he meets Stanley, the founder of Radiator Springs, who works as a travelling radiator caps salesman. With the realization, that if Stanley goes away there would be no Radiator Springs, Mater brings McQueen from the future, and Stanley sells him a radiator cap. Mater then suggests Stanley to settle there and build a town where he could serve broken cars, and Stanley accepts. Jumping a few years forward, Stanley shows Mater and McQueen the expanding town, when Mater takes a note of a broken Model T, which turns out to be Lizzie. Lizzie's seemingly falling in love with McQueen makes Mater panic again about Radiator Springs' future, but it turns out that Lizzie had her eye on Stanley. Introduced to each other by McQueen, he and Mater make another time jump, where they attend Stanley and Lizzie's wedding, before returning to the present. There, Lizzie thanks McQueen for introducing her and Stanley. Role: Time Traveler Guest star: John Michael Higgins as Stanley | LineColor= BF80FF }} }} ''Tales from Radiator Springs'' (2013–14) |OriginalAirDate = |Aux4=Disney Channel |DirectedBy = Jeremy Lasky |ShortSummary = Lightning gets hiccups from drinking his breakfast of champions: oil. Many of the Radiator Springs residents give him advice on how to cure the "annoyingness", but none of the ideas work—until Sally kisses him on the cheek... and his hiccups disappear. | LineColor= 8888FF }} |Aux4=Disney Channel |DirectedBy = Jeremy Lasky |ShortSummary = Red's peaceful morning routine is interrupted by a pesky visitor. Note: This is the only Cars Toon episode not to feature Lightning McQueen and Mater. | LineColor= 8888FF }} |Aux4=Disney Channel |DirectedBy= Jeremy Lasky |ShortSummary = Guido discovers he has a hidden talent as a street corner sign spinner. | LineColor= 8888FF }} |OriginalAirDate = August 1, 2014 |Aux4=Disney Movies Anywhere Disney Channel |DirectedBy= Rob Gibbs and Scott Morse |ShortSummary = Radiator Springs celebrates a Founders Day honoring the late Stanley when a gang of Baja racers descend on the town and challenge Lightning McQueen to a race. Guest stars: John Cygan as Idle Threat, Jess Harnell as Blue Grit, Danny Mann as Shifty Sidewinder, and Steve Purcell as Sandy Dunes. Note: This is the first Cars Toon episode to feature Owen Wilson voicing Lightning McQueen. | LineColor= 8888FF }} }} Characters ''Mater's Tall Tales'' ''Tales from Radiator Springs'' * Note: A grey cell indicates the character was not in the episode. References External links * * Mater's Tall Tales on Disney website * * * Category:Cars (franchise) Category:Pixar short films Category:Film series introduced in 2008 Category:2008 American television series debuts Category:2014 American television series endings Category:2000s American animated television series Category:2010s American animated television series Category:American animated television spin-offs Category:American animated television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters Category:English-language television programs Category:Television series by Disney Category:Television series by Disney Television Animation Category:Television series based on Disney films Category:American computer-animated television series Category:Short films directed by John Lasseter